Communications system to get a boost

Federal funds to be used to update equipment in Mishawaka.

Federal funds to be used to update equipment in Mishawaka.

November 15, 2005|By YONIKA WILLIS Tribune Staff Writer

MISHAWAKA - Thanks in part to a $400,000 check, the city can go ahead and upgrade its communications equipment. On Monday, Mayor Jeff Rea received the money from U.S. Rep. Chris Chocola, R-Bristol. The mayor, along with Police Chief Ken Witkowski and Fire Chief Dale Freeman, each wrote letters to Chocola in March requesting the funding. "They presented compelling arguments on this, and we're very happy to support a part of this in Congress," Chocola said Monday. "We did learn a lot of lessons from Sept. 11 and the hurricanes that the more up-to-date the technology is, the better off the management," Chocola said. The goal of the Motorola interoperable communication system is to have a laptop in every public safety vehicle so that information from dispatch and in the field is constantly updated, said Frank J. Galvin IV, Indiana account manager for Motorola. "Someday (public safety officers) will have the ability to pull up on their laptops criminal history," Rea said. "We can also communicate through South Bend and the county." Galvin said the citizens are going to reap the benefits most from the new technology. And officers can't wait to begin using it. "It'll give us the ability to better communicate," said Mishawaka Police Capt. Dan Gebo. "It'll give us more coverage. Our radios are going to be more clear. Once we get computers in the car, the records keeping will be better. This system will plot out where crimes are so we can move our patrols in that area." The new system is expected to be ready by late summer, Rea said.Staff writer Yonika Willis: ywillis@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6556